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Drought conditions and dropping fuel-moisture levels are among the factors creating high wildfire risk for New Mexico this year, officials say. "We've had a pretty lackluster winter, but we don't know what it's going to be like this spring. We hope for the best but prepare for the worst," says Dan Ware, a spokesman for New Mexico State Forestry.

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The Oregon House has approved legislation that seeks to raise public awareness of the effects of wildfires. The bill calls for a report from the Oregon Health Authority and the state Department of Forestry.

Development in California's floodplains and nearby areas is worth more than $575 billion, while protecting state assets from flooding may require more than $100 billion, according to a report from California's Department of Water Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers. "We realized that even those projects will not even provide the basic level of flood protection from 100-year and 500-year floods statewide," said Terri Wegener, head of the department's flood-management program.

Specialty insurers are focused on investing in replacements of policy-administration systems and other technologies that support growth, reduce costs and enhance operations amid an evolving market, according to a Novarica report. "With the ability to accommodate a wide variety of risks, the specialty market requires a significant amount of operational flexibility to meet the needs of the insurer and the insured," the report says.

Officials and residents of Fargo, N.D., are set to begin filling sandbags today as part of the city's preparation for predicted severe flooding this spring. The Red River could reach 38.1 feet and inundate riverbank communities in the city, said Gregory Gust of the National Weather Service.

New Mexico officials say this year's wildfire season could be as severe as last year's. "When you consider last year was probably the worst fire season we've had in years and years, we think this year really could be on the same level," said Dan Ware, spokesman for New Mexico's State Forestry Division.